Friday’s campaign round-up

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that won’t necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:

* In Massachusetts, Rep. Stephen Lynch’s (D) Senate campaign is having to try to explain why he was the only New England Democrat to vote with congressional Republicans to kill health care reform. The vote, according to the Boston Globe, still “hovers over” his primary candidacy.

* How mad is the far-right with Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R)? A Tea Party entity called the Patriot Super PAC has made a small ad buy – in Iowa – condemning his transportation bill.

* According to the latest data from the Public Policy Institute of California, Republicans in the state are on track to slip to third-party status “before the end of the decade” (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* In Minnesota, former Sen. Norm Coleman (R) has announced he won’t challenge Sen. Al Franken (D) next year. Republicans consider Franken vulnerable, but have not yet identified a top-tier challenger (thanks to my colleague Nazanin Rafsanjani for the tip).

* Republicans continue to aggressively target actor Ashley Judd in Kentucky, with today’s line of attack questioning her residency status.

* Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (D) appears likely to run for governor in 2014, which will likely mean running in a primary against incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn (D). By some accounts, Madigan skipped the 2010 Senate race with this gubernatorial contest in mind.

* Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) once again reiterated his interest in seeking national office in 2016. This wasn’t the first time he’s dropped presidential hints.

* And on a related note, Quinnipiac has already begun conducting 2016 presidential polling, even though it’s ridiculously early. As for the results, spoiler alert: Hillary Clinton looks strong.